Damned Old Adage

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“It takes money to make money.” That’s what they say anyway.

I’m being shockingly reminded of that old adage these days. If you have been following my journey to become a published author, you know I’ve recently set some personal self-publishing goals to get this project to fruition.

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My most recent foray into reaching my goal was to learn about hiring an editor. A pod-cast I listen to recommends that even self-published authors need to hire a professional to edit their work before publication. So I’ve done some research and I’m in sticker shock at the cost of hiring a professional editor—they get paid per word. (!)

One cent to 2.8 cents per word are on the low-to-reasonable end of the rate scale. My novel, THE INK OF TIME, is about 54,000 words long. You don’t even have to do the math. I’ll do it for you.

.01x54,000= 540.00 dollars       .028x54,000= 1,512.00 dollars

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$540.00 to $1,512.00 dollars is a hell of a lot of money to put toward an unproven venture! I would make a terrible entrepreneur because I’m very unwilling to take risks with money, and yet if I want to sell a book I guess that’s exactly what I would have to be and do. I seriously doubt if I’d get my investment back in sales of the book! (It is a good story, if I do say so myself, but I’m a little fish in a big, huge ocean-like pond.)

And yet. And yet, I am a goal oriented person who expects my personal very best. If I publish a book, I want it to be the best that it can be. I’m pretty good at editing the written word, but I know nothing about editing a whole novel. What to do, what to do???

Here’s another adage: “You get what you pay for.”

So true, oh so true.  We’ve all been there. Buy something inexpensive (cheap) and it falls apart in no time. Spend a little more money and you get a product that is worth the price.

Here's a perfect example; I posted this picture on Facebook a couple of years ago. On the left are the cheap crackers I bought at a big box store very well-known for their low prices. On the right are crackers I bought at our local well-known grocery. Same brand. Two standards at two price points.

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So here I am. Trying to decide if I spend money to see what a professional thinks of my work, and more than likely not make any money off the project, or do the best I can with the skills I have (which are free) and self-publish anyway.

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For me, writing is not about making money, it’s about the creative process and having other people enjoy what I’ve created. Like this blog, I write it to hone my skills and get people accustomed to my writing voice. If they like it, they’ll read more. That’s it.  

What should I do?

Until next time,

Be Good to Yourself.

~Nadine